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Behind the Raiders' Boost

Booster clubs can make the difference in a successful program and one that merely gets by.
Earlier this week I spoke to John Woods, who is the president and also the VP of fundraising for the Walton Raiders Touchdown Club.

He said that Walton’s booster club is not like a lot of others.

The Walton Touchdown Club has one of the biggest budgets in the state, and enjoys excellent fiscal management. Woods considers it one of the best ones in the state.

But where does the money go?

The Cobb County Schools System does not provide any funds for athletic facilities, thus the expense of all facilities falls to the Booster club. In the past 15 years, about 4 million dollars from the booster club has gone towards improvements to facilities like:
➢A new field house
➢A new Press Box and sound system
➢A new Scoreboard
➢A new concession stand and restrooms
➢Stadium seating expansion
➢And maintenance of the practice fields and facilities

With over 160 ball players, the money also goes to them:
➢The team receives new state-of-the-art Schutt helmets, pads and uniforms. This equipment is reconditioned annually to keep it in top performance condition.
➢Football camps, weight-room equipment, training aids.
➢It also goes to things like feeding the team pre-game meals and a very little amount of money goes to the staff.

Woods says that the Walton Touchdown club probably has the largest budget in the state.
However, that budget isn’t given to them because they’re an impressive team that’s had a winning record 8 out of 10 years now.

Woods also says that Walton has always had very strong parent participation over the years and that the school has been the most successful football program in the past 10 years.

Since the TDC gets no money from the county, it’s up to the parents and student athletes to find the sponsors.

The Walton Touchdown Club makes money through a lot of corporate sponsorships, three fundraisers a year and membership dues.

What do you guys think about booster clubs? Do they affect the success of a football team?